A meal is not complete without desserts. Among desserts, French desserts are the most popular because of their richness in nutrition and superior taste. There are many varieties in French desserts such as pastries, juicy tarts, creamy caramels, rich mousse and much more. Chocolate mousse finds a prominent place in the dessert menu due to its exotic taste. It can be easily prepared. You can get it ready with one day in advance. If you have interest in chocolates, learning to make chocolate mousse is worth the effort. This makes an excellent dessert when you are entertaining guests at home. Learn how to make this tasty dessert at home by following this set of instructions:
Complexity Level: Basic
Time required: 5-10 minutes
Resources required:
- Dark chocolate – 320 gm
- Eggs – 6
- Cold heavy cream – 1 cup
- Sugar – 1 tbsp
- Salt
- Fruits such as raspberries
- Martini glasses
- Spatula
Instructions:
1. Melt the chocolate:
- Chop the chocolate finely and put it in a heat-proof bowl.
- Set it over a pan with simmering water. Ensure that the base of the heat proof bowl does not touch the water.
- Keep stirring the chocolate until you see it melting. Remove the bowl from heat and keep it aside.
2. Whisk egg whites:
- In a large bowl, crack the eggs and separate the egg whites.
- Use a beater to whisk the whites until they are hard and shiny.
- Add sugar and continue to whisk. Once you see soft peaks forming (froth), stop whisking.
3. Whip the cream:
- Use a separate bowl to whip the cream until it thickens. With a spatula, fold the cream into the chocolate mixture.
4. Whisk egg whites with chocolate:
- Pour one third of the egg whites into the hot chocolate bowl quickly. Whisk them together thoroughly until the mixture becomes dense.
- Using a spatula, fold the left over egg whites into the mixture with salt (1 tsp) until that gets mixed completely with the chocolate.
5. Chill and serve:
- Scoop the mixture into the martini glasses and leave in a refrigerator to set for 4-5 hours. Remove from refrigerator and serve with fruits ( strawberries and raspberries) and chocolate flakes.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How do I make chocolate orange mousse?
Add 1 table spoon of fresh orange juice to the chocolate mixture. You can also try adding mint extract for chocolate mint mousse.
2. Can I add butter in the mixture?
Yes, adding butter will enhance the taste.
Quick Tips:
- Always use fresh eggs to make chocolate mousse.
- Remove the dessert from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving to make it taste perfect.
- You can add flavors such as vanilla to the chocolate mixture.
- Consume the mousse with in a day. Since raw eggs are used, chances of spoiling is high.
- Always heat and melt the chocolate before you mix it with other ingredients.
- Use double boiler to melt the chocolate, or use a casserole over a pot of water.
- Use a combination of dark and milk chocolate to get a rich taste.
Things to watch out for :
- Never over heat the chocolate. It will turn grainy. Put it on low or gentle heat. Do not heat it beyond 114F.
- Do not over whisk the egg whites. This will make it hard and will be difficult to mix with chocolate.
- When you are adding the egg whites to the chocolate mixture, add it quickly. Else, the cold temperate of the eggs can make the chocolate solid.
